From the Inside
by Aquaflares
Summary: .:On Hiatus:. What if Li refused to help Enju, forcing him to turn to another person for help... Tsubame. Sort of AU, yaoi, het, multiple pairings.
1. Kidnapped

**Title:** From the Inside...  
**Author:** Reine Katashka  
**Fandom:** Batoru Biidaman  
**Characters/Pairing:** Tsubame, Enju, and short appearance of Yamato, Gray and Bull. No pairings for now.  
**Prompt:** 077. Betrayal  
**Word Count:** 1804 words  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Batoru Biidaman, because if I did, everyone would be yaoi-fied by now.  
**Author's Notes:** This story was generated when I thought about what would happen if Tsubame joined the Neo Shadow Alliance. This is still the prologue of the fic, so I'll still be continuing it next time. :)

Tsubame stretched his arms outward as he tried to take away the remnants of last night's sleep. The others never woke up as early as he did, which gave him plenty of time to do some morning exercise. He took a quick shower and ate a sandwich for breakfast, before facing a new, cool, misty morning. Walking silently, he watched the other's sleep peacefully through the window, before letting out a small smile.

He had never expected to be part of the group saving the world, even if it did mean irregular hours of sleep and sometimes no food for the day. After all, traveling such long distances could be very strenuous for them. It surprised him greatly that none of them seemed to lose any weight, or even looked slightly tired. He mused that maybe it was because of the fact that they have a tendency to land in odd places where they could have whatever fill they would want, or because they were still quite young and energetic.

He pulled away from the window and started jogging out of his house. It was tempting to sleep again, of course, but he much rather spend times honing his skills than sleeping, even if he guiltily admits to himself that's what they've been doing mostly during their journeys. Besides, his father would scold him about his lack of training if he doesn't move now. As he continued to jog, he realized that he was approaching a clearing, the perfect place to start meditating.

Entering the empty space, he slowly lowered himself on the damp soil, looked out for any enemies, before he relaxed and closed his eyes. It was hard for him to relax these days, especially with the Neo-Shadow Alliance prowling around, ready to attack them when they are most vulnerable. It was a tricky twist of fate most of the time whenever they would battle, but he knew their luck wouldn't last for so long. The Neo Shadow Alliance were increasing in numbers, and getting much stronger. Yesterday's battle with Enju was proof of that, and Tsubame can't help but sigh and break his concentration, staring at the cold, hard ground below him. He couldn't help but feel the rush of anger in him at the memory of Wing Ninja's demise. Even after he had gotten Wing Sword, he still couldn't help but feel sadness at the thought of losing Wing Ninja.

So deep was he in thought, that he nearly missed the rustle of leaves on his left. Surprised, he quickly jumped up into position and pulled out Wing Sword, its heavier mass still a bit uncomfortable in his hands. His eyes narrowed as he noticed who it was standing before him, a small snarl making its way to his lips.

"Enju, what are you doing here?" he growled, eyes trained on the red-haired enemy standing before him. Enju's eyes were trained on his, studying him and his b-daman. He lifted his own b-daman, Kahn Crush, and trained it on Tsubame's, as if daring him to start a battle with him. His usual smug smile was not present, but instead an eerily calm expression seemed to dominate his features. Tsubame felt himself falter at the look, surprised to see something other than what was expected.

A few seconds passed as they stood there in silence, b-daman aimed at each other in case the other tried to attack. A while later Enju lowered his blaster, before finally nearing Tsubame and placing Kahn Crush on the ground right in front of him. Tsubame blinked in surprise at this gesture, but he continued to watch Enju warily, trying to anticipate his next move. Enju stood up and raised his arms up in a surrender pose, his body language showing that he was sincere and was not going to attack. For a second more Tsubame stood, before he lowered his blaster just as Enju took a few steps back.

"I need to ask you a favor." Enju said, watching the ninja's lips form a frown at this. His eyes were still flashing suspicion, and he knew that the younger boy was having a hard time trusting him.

"You destroy Wing Ninja, then come and ask me a favor?" Tsubame barked out, before he quickly shut his mouth in fear of waking anyone up. Enju did not seem to be threatening him, and the neighbors would only get in the way. Enju sighed and looked down, a brief flash of annoyance appearing on his face, before it went back to being calm as he faced Tsubame again.

"Look, I joined the Neo Shadow Alliance again to defeat Marda B. I can't do this alone, so I'm asking you to help me." Enju said, his face indicating that he was serious about it. Tsubame's eyes widened at that statement, before they narrowed once more in suspicion.

"I don't know, laddie. You are an awfully good liar. How can I be sure I could trust ya?" he said cautiously, tightening his grip on Wing Sword. He watched Enju as the other's eyes glazed over, seemingly as if he was in deep thought. A few seconds later Enju shook his head and sighed, before speaking once more.

"I know that this may seem too weird for you, but you have to trust me. Yamato has helped me realize the true joy of bda-battling again, and I can't thank him enough for that. So I feel as if I owe him a favor by defeating Marda B. I know all of you think that he could defeat Marda B on his own, but all of you are wrong. I've met Marda B, and he's much more powerful than Yamato. If you have to face him, not even Yamato could defeat him. That's why I'm asking you to help me, Li refused to help me and you're the only other person I could trust for this." Enju stated, staring at Tsubame once more. Tsubame carefully studied the other's eyes, looking for any signs of lies. However, all he found was sincerity, and he couldn't help but feel as if the other was telling him the truth. However, one thing still bothered him about Enju's appearance.

"Why would you think I'll be of any help to ya? You're the one who told me I was weak, and I'm not exactly better than Yamato, as you may know." he said, watching the other intently for any hesitation in his answer. There was none.

"Because you're a ninja." Enju said with a smirk, and Tsubame had to wonder what his being a ninja had to do with Marda B's defeat. However, an answer had already struck him before the question was formed.

"You're planning on using me as a scout..." he half-said, half-whispered in awe at Enju's plan, which he could finally see right in front of his own eyes. Enju nodded in response, glad to know that Tsubame could pick up ideas easily and wasn't as dense as Yamato.

"Right, that's the idea. I need you to help me find Marda B's weakness, seeing as that's what your kind is good at. It would help all of us, you know." Enju said, a small but familiar smirk starting to appear on his lips. Tsubame pondered on this, knowing that Enju had a point, but at the same time not wanting to believe that Yamato could not defeat Marda B. Noticing his hesitation, Enju had to sigh and give him a firm look.

"I know you think Yamato can take him on by himself, but you have got to realize that Marda B ain't easy pickings. We've got to take the risk in order to defeat Marda B." he said softly, making Tsubame sigh and nod in agreement. He lowered himself down and picked up Kahn Crush, before giving it to Enju.

"Fine, I'll go with ya, laddie. However, how am I going to explain to Yamato and the others that I joined the Neo Shadow Alliance?" he looked up at the taller youth, his eyes questioning him, expecting him to give an answer. He couldn't help but feel that he was betraying Yamato's trust by going with Enju, but he knew that what the older lad said was true. If they wanted to defeat Marda B, they would have a better chance at it from the inside, if only to find out what his weakness is. Enju thought for a moment, before looking off to the side for a while. His eyes seemed to have caught sight of something, before he let out a shadow of his usual evil smirk. Quickly, he grabbed Tsubame around the neck with his arm, hoisting him up in the air as if he was taking him hostage.

"Hey! What are...?" Tsubame choked slightly, before Enju bent down to whisper in his ear.

"Shh... I've got it covered, don't worry. Just start calling for help." Enju said, before letting his usual, evil expression take over his face. Tsubame stayed quiet for a while, before he started to scream and struggle.

"Let me go, Enju! Let me go!" he started crying out, trying to kick at the older boy, who just raised an eyebrow at his attempts and dodged. Suddenly, Yamato, Gray and Bull burst into the clearing, trying to see what was going on. Their eyes widened as they saw Tsubame in a headlock, done by none other than their worst enemy, Enju. Yamato growled at him, eyes narrowed in anger.

"Let him go, Enju!" he cried out, pulling his b-daman out of his pocket and aiming it at the older red-head. Enju just let out a laugh, which sounded much more frightening to Tsubame seeing as he was pressed against the older boy, so he could hear the sound much clearer than them. It made him shiver slightly with fright, before he started kicking again as he realized what Enju was planning to do.

"Enju, you can't do thi---!"

"Shut up, Tsubame. I'm taking you back to the Neo Shadow Alliance whether you like it or not!"

"So is kidnapping your Alliance's new game?" Gray said angrily, his eyes trained on Enju, before he swept a worried glance in Tsubame's direction. The younger boy had to will himself not to look away in shame; instead, he continued to act as if he was being kidnapped as Enju started walking back.

"What are you going to do, Yamato? If you shoot me, Tsubame's gonna be your target." Enju said smugly, making Yamato growl in frustration at the realization that he was right. All of them stood there for a while, before Enju smirked at them and started to back away from the clearing...

"I knew you would see things my way."

... And then, they were gone.


	2. Betrayal

**Title:** From the Inside...  
**Author:** Reine Katashka  
**Fandom:** Batoru Biidaman  
**Characters/Pairing:** Tsubame, Enju, Neo-Shadow Members  
**Word Count:** 1410 words  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Batoru Biidaman, because if I did, everyone would be yaoi-fied by now.  
**Author's Notes:** This story was generated when I thought about what would happen if Tsubame joined the Neo Shadow Alliance.

Tsubame broke away from Enju the minute they left Yamato and the gang's sight, glaring at him in annoyance. Enju just huffed and crossed his arms in front of him defiantly, his eyes telling him to deal with the events.

"Why'd you go and do that? Now they'll think you're even worse than you really are!" Tsubame cried out, as if daring Enju to answer him. Enju's eyes narrowed at him and a frown made its way to his lips.

"You don't get it, do you?" Enju bit out, startling Tsubame a bit, who looked at him warily because of his answer.

"The idea was to make you look innocent so that they won't suspect you of helping me. If I hadn't made you pretend to be kidnapped, do you think that the others will trust you?" Tsubame promptly shut up as he realized that Enju was right, before looking away and muttering under his breath.

"Still, now you look even worse to them than before…"

"That's the plan."

Tsubame blinked and looked at Enju in bewilderment, his eyes questioning him in confusion. Enju smirked at this and uncrossed his arms, lifting a hand up and moving it in a motion of explanation.

"Look, here's the plan…"

---

"You're telling me that Tsubame is acting like their ally, when he's actually ours?" Cain said dubiously, raising one eyebrow to show that he didn't buy what they said. Tsubame just hid in the background while Enju explained the situation, making sure to hide his eyes behind his bangs so that he couldn't show them how much he disliked the situation.

"Exactly. Since Tomato and his band of dorks think that the little birdie here was kidnapped, it'll be easier to crush their spirits when they find out their own ally betrayed them and played them for fools." Enju said snidely, a bit of malice forming on his face so as not to betray his plan. Joshua watched them silently from behind Cain, eyeing Tsubame carefully as if studying him. Marda B seemed pleased with the idea as his eye gleefully watched the two discuss Enju's plan, whilst Bierce just watched them critically from his spot next to Cain.

"I don't believe it! This brat is more loyal to Yamato than the rest of the weaklings, how can we be certain he's trustworthy?" Cain said flippantly, but he knew it would have the desired effect. Enju's eyes narrowed dangerously, as if to show irritation at Cain for doubting his plans. In truth, he was cursing himself for forgetting that one fact, since it had just put him in a tight spot.

Tsubame was a ninja, which meant that he would stay loyal to those who he has given his loyalty. Obviously that was Yamato and Armada, his friend and his mentor. Before Enju could think up a reply though, Tsubame had taken initiative and walked up to Cain, eyeing him critically and sternly.

"You know, lad, if I was as loyal to Yamato and the others as you say I am, why would I have left in the first place?" Tsubame asked quietly, but it was enough to take Cain aback. Enju silently thanked Tsubame for his quick thinking, while Joshua and Bierce continued to watch this exchanged from the sides. Cain stared at Tsubame for a short while longer, before he let out a laugh. Tsubame blinked at him while Enju glared, both of them wondering what was wrong with the Knight.

"Oh, you caught me by surprise, kid. I'm impressed." Cain leered, and Tsubame's eyes narrowed as he took a hesitant step back. Joshua made a motion to stop Cain, but the younger lad ignored him and continued to scare Tsubame.

"I've got an idea. Why don't we just put him under mind control so we can be sure of his loyalty?" Cain said, pulling away quickly from Tsubame, who was glaring at him for entering his personal space. Enju hissed at Cain's suggestion, watching Marda B and the rest for their opinions. Marda B's eye flashed with glee, whilst Bierce and Joshua had indifferent looks in their eyes.

"But…" Enju started, only to be cut off by Tsubame.

"I wouldn't mind that, lad." He said, ignoring the bewildered look on Enju's face and the triumphant one on Cain's. Before anyone could say anything though, he quickly continued his statement.

"However, do you think you'll be able to do as much damage to Yamato if you do that?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I was mind-controlled, lad, they'll think you forced me to take your side. That'll only strengthen their resolve in defeating you. However, if I was still conscious of what I do, I can just crush their spirits because they'll find out I betrayed them on my own free will."

Enju blinked at Tsubame, knowing that they had not talked about that. Seeing the determined look on Tsubame's face though, he felt proud that he had picked the right person. Despite all of his flunks, Tsubame knew what made Yamato tick, and for once he was able to use it to his advantage. Of course, he knew it was still a mask, which worried him seeing as Tsubame was a ten-year-old. It was hard to tell whether this was just an act or real sometimes.

All of them stared at the young ninja for a while, before Bierce took over and accepted Tsubame into the Neo-Shadow Alliance.

"However, you'll have to stay in here first until we can determine whether we could trust you or not."

It was an order, and Tsubame had quickly listened and never left the room he was provided with. The minute he was sure that no one was around anymore, he let out a huge sigh of relief and plopped down on the bed provided for him. He rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face into the pillow, trying to relax as much as he could. He was already within enemy territory, he knew, and it scared him how easy it was for him to lie to them. He frowned at the thought of how his parents would react to him, before he closed his eyes and tried to forget everything.

It was disadvantageous for him not to be able to talk to Enju anymore, as they had said it was just precaution in case Tsubame could not be trusted. He wondered briefly if they had just said that just to rile him up, or if it was because they knew of their plan. He hoped it was the former; it would make his mission much easier.

A knock on the door startled him, and he quickly sat up as the door opened slowly. He blinked in surprise as he realized it was Joshua, carrying a small silver platter with a tea set on it. He closed the door behind him and approached Tsubame, setting the platter on the table next to his bed.

"Would you like some tea, Tsubame?" he asked in his usual monotone, and Tsubame shook his head hesitantly, afraid that the drink might have been drugged. Joshua did not take any offence at this and just nodded.

"Would you mind if I kept you company, then?" Again, Tsubame shook his head, afraid that if he spoke he would be found out. Joshua took a seat next to him on the bed, before glancing at him from the corner of his eyes.

"Do you really think you fooled everyone with that mask of yours?" he asked suddenly, startling Tsubame, who turned to him in wonder. Joshua said nothing afterwards, just looked at him intensely.

"What?"

"I know you're lying through your teeth, Tsubame. You can't fool me." He said a bit harshly, making Tsubame wince slightly at his words. The young ninja turned away from Joshua in an attempt to hide his expression, his heart hammering wildly in his chest in fear. It was way too soon to be caught, and he knew it'll all go downhill if the Alliance found out the truth.

"What makes you say that, Joshua?" he asked quietly, frantically searching his mind for any type of reason or excuse he could use to fool the butler. Before he could come up with anything though, Joshua had moved from his position and knelt in front of him, keeping his eyes trained on the blue-haired boy sternly.

"Because, my friend, I'm wearing that mask too."


End file.
